On The Moern Transformation Of Chinese Novels 1897-1927

This study is on the Modern Transformation of Chinese novels (1897-1927), standing at the certain political, economic and cultural points from a wide perspective of history to study the impacts on the transformation of modern Chinese novels, highlighting the people's initiative when to explore the novels transformation at the background of the awakening of individual consciousness, country consciousness and national consciousness. Novel as a product of human's intelligence experienced the modern transformation on the social function, theme implication and creative consciousness during the anti-imperialism revolution and social liberty revolution in China.When 1840 Opium War broke out, the Chinese society was forced to start the modern process by the imperialism of the artillery, which is a history full of humiliation and suffering since the Chinese people experienced a deep crisis of their nation and country. Under the influence of the Western strong political, economic and cultural strength, the Chinese people's national consciousness, country consciousness and individual consciousness came into full awareness. Novel is an art with the reality reflecting on the human spirit so the creation of modern novels is from the people living experiences in modern society. However, the beginning of Chinese modern experience was so different both from the traditional Chinese society and the Western society. Chinese modern novels had quite unique theme, content and form of expression. The transformation of modern Chinese novels happened at such a complex historical situation with a "new" look flowing into the revolution river of the whole Chinese society at that changing time.First section, new novels came into together with salvation and strengthening of the country to a brand new society. The bourgeois revolutionists headed by Liang Qichao, Yan Fu, Xia Zengyou etc. advocated the Novel Revolution to select novel as a tool to enlighten the people to save and strengthen their country according to the characteristics of popularization of novels. By their strong advocacy and reform, the novel rose from a traditional inferior position to a modern superior position in the literature system. So the social function of novel transformation took place from tradition to modern. First, the modern novel aimed at the majority of people to make the public enlightenment. Then on the point of ideology, the novel function from the feudal autocracy education transformed into democratic revolution enlightenment. Second, modern novel made full use of the modern media on its rapid, general public and interactive features to become a suitable art form full with the revolutionary ideas and theory. Then under the influence of the media, the novel changed from the minor social position into a bigger one. Third, writers and the media together did their best to make the modern novels become a better educational convenient revolutionary tool to the public with the public, timeliness and realistic features of novel formed under the influence of the urban economy. The novels transformation appeared on the educational function. Fourth, in the context of the country salvation and strengthening, the traditional fun to pastime in leisure time of letters men and idlers became weak, the novels good at the show of truth and beauty with the concept of entertainment together, feeding the individual with beliefs of freedom and prosperity of the nation. The transformation happened on the novel entertainment function.Second section, the new novel is connected with the new theme implication. With the Western cultural invasion into China the Western scientific rationality, such as evolution, impacted on the China's human relationship order strongly. At the same time the Western individual freedom and democratic ideas also threw great shaking at the China's human relationship order. Then, human equality and freedom became popular words at that time and made up of new theme on rebuilding the father-son relationship and gender relationship in novels. In addition, the entry of the Western culture also provided a new Other's viewpoint for Chinese people to reflect on their own national culture. In order to survive and strengthen the country, Chinese novelists led by Lu Xun did their best to show the defect of Chinese nature aimed at to cure the illness of Chinese national weakness. Last, with the awakening of individual consciousness and human consciousness the reality experiences of individuals became new theme of Chinese novels full of desires of free marriage, love and other things in the disasters background of their country and nation.Third section, during the historical process of Chinese initiative pursuit of national revolution, national prosperity and national security, the novelists' creative sense had the modern transformation too with the steps of times changing. First of all, in order to pursuit on revolution, salvation and strengthening, such creative ideas were emphasized on that the literature was for the reality life, for the humans, and for the revolution. Furthermore, the creative thoughts initially guided by the Enlightenment, then by the Democratic Revolution, last by the social revolutionary ideas, finally made writing revolutionary literature become a major creative consciousness. Third, the creation narration, in order to satisfy the demand of creative ideas and creative consciousness, the novelists made an active transformation at narrative person and narrative focus. The limit narration with the first person and third person were widely used. The narrative focus changed from describing events to describing person. Many modern Western thoughts and forms on the narration were made full use of by Chinese novelists creatively. Then the modern features of Chinese novel came into being at last. Since then, the modern Chinese novels went ahead along the modern road with the coming labor people revolution to develop and improve continually.In short, the modern transformation of Chinese novels, took place during the political, economic and cultural changes in modern history that Chinese experienced imperialist aggression, the disintegration of the feudal monarchy, urban economic development, individual liberation tiding up, all of which followed with the process of individual consciousness, country consciousness and national consciousness awakening. The Chinese people tried their best to seek a best road of social revolution for national liberation and country prosperity. All of the above times factors deeply imprinted in the Chinese modern novels. They are the causes, pushing forces and expressions of the modern transformation of Chinese novels.